


Melody of the Heart

by HereComesAComment



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Attempt at Humor, Birthday, Birthday Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Insomnia, Living Together, M/M, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-06
Updated: 2019-09-06
Packaged: 2020-10-11 08:27:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20543099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HereComesAComment/pseuds/HereComesAComment
Summary: He leaned back and tilted his face further up in a silent request. Giggling, Kokichi complied, leaning forward and pressing their lips together in a slow, soft kiss. Shuichi raised a hand up to Kokichi’s face, slowly tracing his fingers against a cheek before curling a lock of hair around his finger, pulling on it a little. Kokichi sighed into the kiss, trailing his fingers along Shuichi’s arm until he thread their fingers together. His other hand cupped Shuichi’s face, thumb lightly brushing over his cheek. Shuichi shifted to get a better angle, pressing up more firmly, insistently  against the pair of lips on his own, but still maintaining the almost lazy pace of the kiss.Kokichi slowly pulled away, Shuichi shifted, trying to chase after him. Kokichi giggled before peppering kisses all over his face with an exaggeratedMwah! Mwah! Mwah!Shuichi laughed, still a little groggy and kiss-drunk, flushing under the affection. If this was what was in store for today… well, Kokichi might not be wrong in saying Shuichi would want this everyday.Saiou week 2019Day 3: AU/prankDay 4:Wedding/MusicDay 7: Shuichi’s birthday/Free day





	Melody of the Heart

**Author's Note:**

> **HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MY DARLING ANXIETY BOY, I LOVE YOU SO MUCH AND SO DOES KOKICHI**  
I hope you have the bestest birthday ever and keep being you, you precious little angel <3
> 
> Bless puppy for helping me out with this idea and smol for helping me with the title. Again.  
And Zetta and Sif (bnha/bakugou fans, go check her out. She's awesome at this writing thingy)  
for beta reading this

Shuichi yawned as he blinked awake. A glance at the clock told him that it was much later than when he usually woke up. He distantly realized that he had slept in today. Well… that’s alright, it was his day off anyway. He could allow himself to be lazy, just for today. 

  


He reached out to the other side of the bed— fully content with snuggling his boyfriend and sleeping in for a few more minutes— only to find it empty. 

  


It took his sleepy brain a whole minute to process the absence of another body. Shuichi frowned and sat up. His eyes confirmed that indeed, Kokichi’s side of the bed was empty. 

  


The blinds were still closed, and nothing in the room seemed misplaced. Kokichi’s pajamas were carelessly thrown towards the laundry basket in the corner, and the door to the bedroom was mostly closed. The delicious smell of breakfast wafted into the room, making his stomach grumble. 

  


Kokichi was awake before ten and he was making something other than desserts. Shuichi didn’t know which of those facts surprised him more. 

  


He was a night owl who wouldn’t get up before ten unless someone held him at gunpoint. When they moved in together, Shuichi had learned how inoperative his boyfriend was in the morning. Shuichi needed both hands to count the number of times Kokichi had face-planted into his breakfast due to sheer exhaustion, hence why Shuichi was the one in charge of preparing breakfast.

  


Shuichi himself had suffered many tired days, due to how light of a sleeper he is. Even the slightest shifting from Kokichi would wake him up in the middle of the night, which was something that happened a lot, unfortunately. He was surprised that Kokichi managed to leave the room without waking him up. Shuichi must’ve been more exhausted than he thought. 

  


Shuichi sighed and got out of bed, not bothering to change out of his pajamas. He wondered how long Kokichi had been up. He imagined an exhausted Kokichi lying awake in bed all night, tossing and turning— unable to fall asleep— until he finally gave up and left the warmth of their bed to find something to do. 

  


His heart clenched painfully at the thought. It wouldn’t be the first time Kokichi stayed awake for hours on end. Insomnia hasn’t been kind to his boyfriend.

  


With a plan of dragging Kokichi back to bed for a few more hours of rest and cuddling, he walked out of the bedroom. Despite his earlier deduction, the sight in front of him still managed to catch him by surprise.

  


Kokichi was humming a familiar tune as he set up the table, breakfast already prepared and spread out over the table. Shuichi watched him for a minute or two, before Kokichi noticed him lingering in the hallway. He dropped everything to tackle him.

  


“Shu-chan, you’re up! Good morning,” Kokichi greeted, pecking him on the cheek. 

  


“G’mornin’. What are you doing up so early?” he slurred over his words, still not fully awake. Shuichi wrapped his arm around Kokichi and leaned on him.

  


“H-Hey! You’re heavy!” Kokichi complained, but showed no signs of letting go of him. “I was hoping you’d sleep in a bit more.”

  


“Couldn’t. You weren’t there,” Shuichi said, burying his face in Kokichi’s hair, the familiar smell of lavender shampoo making him relax.

  


“Silly, Shushu. What would you do without me?” Kokichi mumbled, snuggling impossibly closer to him. 

  


They stayed like that for a while. Kokichi was warm in his arms and a solid form keeping him upright, even as he started dozing off in his arms. But when Kokichi’s phone started ringing with the Phantom Thief Dark theme song— which Shuichi recognized as the ringtone he set for the members of DICE— Kokichi jolted before slowly untangling himself from Shuichi.

  


As Kokichi answered his call, Shuichi slumped onto the chair, taking note of all the rich breakfast item Kokichi had prepared. Eggs, bacon, toast, sandwiches, waffles, pancakes, cinnamon rolls, french toast, pudding, hash browns, muffins, omelette, pop-tarts, yogurt, coffee, and orange juice. Shuichi couldn’t help but wonder how the hell were they supposed to finish all of this. And it wasn’t hard to tell which were Shuichi’s portion and which were Kokichi’s. 

  


“—told you already, I’m hanging out with Shu-chan today!” He heard Kokichi huffing from where he was pacing around in the living room. “We’re going on a suuuper fun date and I won’t be home, so don’t bother.” Kokichi hung up, without even letting the other person speak.

  


“Was someone supposed to come over?” Shuichi asked. 

  


“Nah, they wanted to pull a city wide whoopee cushion prank today, but I told them that I’m busy,” Kokichi informed, sitting down opposite of him. “Today’s my Shuberry’s special day after all! And as the Ultimate Supreme Leader of Evil, it’s my duty to spoil my lovers and subordinates on their special day! That way, they can’t file any complaints against me to the Secret Society of Villainous Fiends. That would seriously put a dent in my perfect record! Did you know that I’ve been on the cover of their monthly newsletter for five straight years now? Impressive, right?” Kokichi threw him a lopsided grin. 

  


“That’s an interesting name choice for a secret society,” Shuichi remarked, as he picked up a piece of toast. He ignored the lovers comment, knowing full well that he was Kokichi’s first and only. “How come I haven’t heard of it before despite being a member of DICE?”

  


“Because you’re not a high enough level yet, duh! You’re only an honorary member. Only the most evil, truly terrible villains have the privilege of knowing about its existence,” Kokichi lectured. “You suuure you don’t want to join for realsies and climb up the rank? You’d make an amazing right hand man, you know?” Kokichi asked, obnoxiously wiggling his eyebrows.

  


“Being an honorary member is more than enough for me,” Shuichi apologized, lips twitching upwards. “And ah, evil and terrible… like you?”

  


“Exactly like me! Why do you think I’ve been on their front cover for so many years, Shu-chan? It’s because I’m a model villain! Terrorizing people by day, stealing valuables by night, brushing my teeth before bed— a model villain, I tell you!” Kokichi boasted. 

  


“Can’t say I disagree,” He said and Kokichi’s eyes sparkled, delighted at Shuichi playing along with him.

  


“Exactly! So you should just take it easy and let me spoil you. I'm going to spoil you so good, you’ll wish everyday was your birthday!” Kokichi claimed.

  


“Is that so? Mind telling me what's on the agenda today?”

  


Kokichi hummed, seemingly contemplating his decision. “Nope! It's a surprise. I will tell you this though: dress comfortably.” 

  


And with that piece of advice, Kokichi happily munched on a pancake, content with enjoying a quiet breakfast. Afterwards, he helped Kokichi put away the leftovers in their new plastic tupperwares. Honestly, Kokichi made way too much, neither of them were breakfast people to begin with.

  


Kokichi banished him from the kitchen after they were done. Even when Shuichi insisted that he should clean up since Kokichi was the one who cooked, Kokichi didn't budge and sent him away to take a shower and get dressed. 

  


Shuichi got out of the shower to find Kokichi sitting on the bed, hairdryer in hand. He patted the space in between legs. Shuichi complied and settled on the floor between Kokichi’s legs. Kokichi delicately ran his fingers through the dripping navy strands of hair, touch lingering for a few moments before he flipped on the hair dryer and set about drying him off. 

  


Shuichi couldn't deny it felt nice— being taken care of like this. Closing the door and blinds so that Shuichi would sleep in; making breakfast and cleaning up the dishes; taking a day off and making secret plans for them to spend the day together; and now this. Kokichi’s soft fingers in his hair felt really nice and he might have dozed off once or twice under their careful ministrations. 

  


He felt Kokichi kiss the back of his head and only then did he realize that Kokichi was done drying his hair. But he felt so warm and comfortable, he didn't want to move. He wanted to sink into this feeling. It felt like his body was trying to catch up all the sleep he’s missed in the last week.

  


“Hey, if you’re still tired then we can stay in and sleep some more. What do you say? A lazy day with snacks, movies and lots of cuddles,” Kokichi whispered, staring at him with eyes filled with so much adoration and acceptance— it left Shuichi a little breathless. 

  


He leaned back and tilted his face further up in a silent request. Giggling, Kokichi complied, leaning forward and pressing their lips together in a slow, soft kiss. Shuichi raised a hand up to Kokichi’s face, slowly tracing his fingers against a cheek before curling a lock of hair around his finger, pulling on it a little. Kokichi sighed into the kiss, trailing his fingers along Shuichi’s arm until he thread their fingers together. His other hand cupped Shuichi’s face, thumb lightly brushing over his cheek. Shuichi shifted to get a better angle, pressing up more firmly, insistently against the pair of lips on his own, but still maintaining the almost lazy pace of the kiss. 

  


Kokichi slowly pulled away, Shuichi shifted, trying to chase after him. Kokichi giggled before peppering kisses all over his face with an exaggerated _ Mwah! Mwah! Mwah! _

  


Shuichi laughed, still a little groggy and kiss-drunk, flushing under the affection. If this was what was in store for today… well, Kokichi might not be wrong in saying Shuichi would want this everyday.

  


Their peaceful moment was interrupted when Kokichi’s phone started buzzing again. Kokichi huffed and pulled out his phone, rejecting the call and quickly tapping off a message before pocketing it again. 

  


“Useless clowns. How dare they? Interrupting my precious time with Shumai,” Kokichi grumbled, wrapping his arms around Shuichi’s shoulders and nuzzling into his hair. Shuichi chuckled.

  


“Are you sure you shouldn’t be checking that out? It might be important,” Shuichi suggested. DICE usually didn’t contact Kokichi this early in the day. Just like their leader, they were a bunch of night owls. Shuichi doubted any of them woke up before eleven.

  


Remembering his earlier concerns, Shuichi moved up to the bed, sitting beside Kokichi. When Kokichi turned to face him, Shuichi held his face, searching for any signs of exhaustion. “Kokichi, how long have you been awake?” 

  


No bags under his eyes. Good. “Hm? What are you even asking, Shucchi? Don’t you know that I’ve never slept a day in my life?”

  


“Kokichi...”

  


“Fiiine, if you _ really _ want to know, I woke up at seven.”

  


Shuichi frowned. He must not have gotten much sleep then. “And when did you fall asleep?”

  


Kokichi rolled his eyes. “Geez, interrogating your own boyfriend like he’s some kind of _ criminal _. I thought this was supposed to be your day off, Detective?” he teased.

  


“That’s not it,” Shuichi objected. “I’m just worried about you.”

  


Kokichi grinned and pinched his cheeks. “I know you are and it’s _ adorable _. And since I don’t want you to worry your pretty little head off— seriously, you need to ease up a little, you’ll get wrinkles— I’ll grace you with an answer! I fell asleep a little after two in the morning.”

  


Shuichi removed Kokichi’s hands from his cheek and frowned. “Kokichi, that’s not nearly enough sleep—”

  


“And I will! Later! It’s Shubaby’s birthday and I have plans,” Kokichi pouted.

  


Shuichi laughed and kissed him on the forehead. Kokichi hummed in delight and tapped his lips expectantly until Shuichi complied and kissed them.

  


“Is that so? What did you have in mind for us today?”

  


He immediately perked up. “Oh, I bet you’re dying to know, aren’t you?” It seemed more like Kokichi was the one dying to tell, but Shuichi thought it best to keep that observation to himself. “I would tell you, but it’s a surprise! But don’t worry, it won’t be all fun and excitement. We’ll do the boring stuff you like as well,” Kokichi patted his shoulder in comfort.

  


“Not even a hint?” Shuichi asked playing along.

  


“Nope!”

  


“Ah. Then I dread going out today. Who knows what horrors the day will bring,” Shuichi sighed, wrapping his arms around Kokichi and falling backwards onto the bed. “Looks like we have to go along with my original plan and cuddle in bed all day.” 

  


“Hey, no fair! It’s supposed to be a surprise,” Kokichi whined but cuddled right up to him, kissing his neck. “Although, your plan isn’t so boring either.”

  


“Oh?”

  


“_ But _,” Kokichi stressed, sitting up and straddling him, and jabbed a finger on his chest, “My plan is far superior so we’re going to be doing that. I don’t want to hear any objections from you, Shushu!”

  


Shuichi’s mouth curved upwards in a smile. He took the hand poking him and brought it up to his lips, laying a kiss there. “Whatever my Supreme Leader desires.”

  


He watched, pleased, as the colour spread across Kokichi’s face. “Exactly! So you have to get dressed right now! I won’t forgive any tardiness, okay?” Kokichi extracted himself from the bed and Shuichi’s arms, grumbling about how _ ‘unfair Shumai can be’ _ under his breath before leaving the room.

  


Shuichi chuckled and got up as well. He made his way to the closet before noticing a pair of his clothes neatly folded, sitting on the chair. Kokichi must have picked that out for him earlier. He really was pulling all the stops at pampering Shuichi, wasn’t he?

  


He quickly got changed, not wanting to delay their date any longer. Despite his earlier words, he was excited to see what Kokichi had planned for them today. He had a feeling Kokichi had put a lot of thoughts into today, if his fidgety, nervous energy was anything to go by.

  


He stepped out of the bedroom to see Kokichi already waiting for him by the door, staring at his phone. He looked up and smiled when he noticed Shuichi. They shared one more kiss before leaving their apartment. 

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Bells squealed as her leader sent another cute selfie of him and his boyfriend. Jester had one wrapped around wrapped around his boyfriend’s waist and was holding the phone up with the other, grinning at the camera. The boyfriend, on the other hand, wasn’t looking at the camera at all. He was staring at Jester with soft, loving eyes and a serene smile on his face. His expression screamed “_ love-struck _” and Bells thought it was the cutest thing ever.

  


“Bell, at least _ pretend _ to help,” Pip chided her, exasperated.

  


“Yeah! Go back to the base if you’re not even gonna help!” Void growled at her.

  


Bells let out a gasp and clutched her phone close to her chest, giving them an offended look. “Excuse_ you _, I am totally helping you two out here. Without me, you’d be lost and have no idea what to do.” She huffed and walked into the building, leaving the other two behind. She heard twin groans and the sound of feet slowly shuffling in after her.

  


_ Room 31… Room 31… Room— Aha! _

  


She let out a little cheer when she found the apartment she was searching for. She fished a hair clip out of her pocket and worked on picking the lock. After hearing the familiar _ click! _ she pushed it open and took off her shoes before stepping inside. 

  


The apartment was… surprisingly clean for somewhere Jester lives in. She supposed it was thanks to the boyfriend. Her boss could be a messy one, she would know. 

  


Slipping further in, she found her target. The living room was was somehow exactly as she expected and nothing like her expectations at the same time. It was a cozy room with a sofa and two armchairs facing the TV. The curtains to the balcony was drawn back, letting sunlight filter into the room. Magazines and newspapers were strewn across the coffee table in the middle of the room. The carpet underneath her feet was soft and fuzzy.

  


The space looked well lived and cared for and Bells felt a (now familiar) flood of emotions— happiness, gratitude, relief— rushing through her. She could never be thankful enough to Jester’s boyfriend for loving and accepting her leader and giving him another place to call home.

  


She took a deep breath and tried to come back to the task at hand. Tapping her finger against the sofa and humming as she tried to figure out how to proceed with the plan. The room was big enough, but she needed to clear up some space first. 

  


With a roll of her shoulders, she mentally readied herself and got to work. One by one, she picked up the coffee table and armchairs and moved them out of the living room. The dining room looked pretty spacious, so she dropped them off there. After that, she carefully rolled up the carpet (It felt nice under the feet, she didn’t want it to get ruined), putting it away in a corner of the room. And lastly, she pushed the sofa back against the wall, completely clearing up the space in the middle.

  


Bells huffed with a pleased grin, satisfied with a hard day’s labour. Now, if only the other two could hurry up so that she could go shopping with Deuce today...

  


She tapped her foot impatiently as she heard grunting and cursing coming from the hallway. She rushed out of the room when she heard them drop the instrument on the ground. “Hey, be careful! Jester’s going to be mad if you damage it!” she fretted, checking to make sure it was still in perfect condition. Jester’s going to be _ so mad _ if things didn’t go well.

  


“Well maybe you could’ve helped then! Do you have any freaking idea how heavy a _ god damn piano _ is?!” Void spat at her, dropping down to the floor. He was sweating and trying to catch his breath, leaning on the piano. Bells wrinkled her nose, hoping he didn’t rub off any of his gross sweat on it.

  


“Did you at least prepare the area? I want to get this over with as soon as possible,” Pip asked— _ much _ more nicely than Void, if you asked her— as he (thankfully) leaned against the wall, wiping the sweat off his forehead with his sleeves. 

  


She crossed her arms and pouted. “Of course, I didn’t. I’m a lady! Do you really expect me to do heavy lifting? What the hell do you think you guys here for?”

  


At her response, Pip groaned and slouched further into himself and Void started cursing her to the moon and back. She had to focus on holding in her giggles so as not to break her unhappy glare. Seeing their relieved and almost grateful expressions on their faces (she was pretty sure she saw Pip wiping away a tear) when they carried the piano in had totally been worth it. 

  


After setting up the piano, the three of them raided the fridge in search for something to drink. Several tupperwares were stocked on the top shelf, and the one at the front had a sticky note attached to it. It read: _ Property of DICE. Might be poisonous _, with a small doodle of their leader lying dead with a poison bottle in hand.

  


To anyone else, it might have been a “Don’t touch” sign, but they recognized it for what it was. It was nice of him to prepare food for them, Bells thought. She wondered if it was his way of apologizing for his shitty behaviour earlier this week. Not that they didn’t understand _ why _ he had been so anxious and irritable, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t tease him about it. 

  


“Man, the boss has really been blowing up the chat, hasn’t he?” Void said, munching through a cookie. “My phone has been buzzing in my pocket non-stop since we got here.”

  


“Well, at least he’s having fun,” Pip commented, taking a sip of his Panta, grimacing at the syrupy taste. 

  


The three of them were sitting on the kitchen floor, tupperwares spread out in front of them. Bells was only slightly surprised that their leader predicted them raiding his fridge. He always tries to be five steps ahead of everybody. It could make him an arrogant prick at times, but right now she certainly appreciated the food. 

  


She quickly downed the rest of her drink and whipped out her phone to check the chat. And sure enough, Void was right. There were several new messages, all from Jester. They were all shots of him and his boyfriend, or only the boyfriend. She cooed and giggled at seeing her Leader have an emotional crisis over his boyfriend being “_ too pretty for his fragile maiden heart _”.

  


While she was still gushing how sweet and cute those two were, Jester sent another message. This time, it was only a picture of his boyfriend. He was sitting at a booth, a large pink drink in front of him with a heart-shaped double straw. He was looking at the camera with a surprised look on his face. 

  


He kind of looked like a spooked cat, Bells snickered at the thought. The neon blue kitty filter only adding to the comparison. 

  


She read the caption and had to stop herself from squealing and melting into the ground from how _ cute _ Jester could be. It read: _ Look at this man. I love this man. He’s so cute, I’m gonna cry _ _ ❤️o(TヘTo) _

  


Pip snorted, also scrolling through his phone. “I’m glad he’s doing alright,” he whispered, a fond expression on his face. Bells couldn’t agree more.

* * *

  
  
  


Shuichi was surprised by how peaceful the day was. 

  


Hmm… that wasn’t the right word. 

  


Uneventful? Not quite. 

  


Unexciting? No. Mundane? Not the right word. Normal? 

  


Yeah, that was the right word. 

  


Shuichi was surprised by how normal the day was. Kokichi took them ice skating, they ate a hearty lunch at their favourite restaurant, they went to see a movie Shuichi had been curious about for a while now, and ended the date with a leisurely stroll around the park. They went on a typical date and did typical date activities. 

  


Which, in Shuichi’s case, could be considered atypical, considering just who his boyfriend was. Shuichi had been expecting a day filled with crazy and ridiculous activities of dubious legality. The relaxed and easy-going atmosphere was almost making him nervous as he waited for the other shoe to drop. 

  


He felt a gentle squeeze from the warm hand in his own. Kokichi cocked his head to one side in a silent question: _ What are you thinking about? _ Shuichi had to keep himself from cooing— Kokichi looked adorable with his round eyes, staring at him curiously, ice-cream smeared on his nose. 

  


Shuichi leaned over to lick it off, taking Kokichi by surprise. He stared at Shuichi with wide eyes, before giggling and standing on his toes to give Shuichi a kiss. Both of their cheeks were tinted pink now.

  


Kokichi swung their entwined hands together much like a child, as they walked back home. As he finished off his ice cream, Kokichi started happily humming the the opening song of that detective anime he loved to watch. 

  


Once again, Shuichi was struck by just how normal the day had been. But maybe this was his way of spoiling Shuichi? Doing something ordinary and conventional for a change? No surprises, no grand gestures, no over the top declarations of love— only them and a normal day. 

  


Of course, Shuichi was soon proven wrong by the studio piano waiting for them in their living room. A piano that Shuichi was _ pretty _confident wasn’t there when they left. Releasing his hand, Kokichi made his way to the piano, flexing his fingers with his purple eyes fixed on the black and white keys.

  


“Kokichi?” Why was there a piano in their house?

  


“Hm?” 

  


“What is this?” And where was the rest of their furniture?

  


Kokichi pondered his question, taking several long seconds to look around the apartment with exaggerated movements before replying, “I don’t know about you, but it looks like a piano to me, Shumai.”

  


“How did this get into our home?” The carpet is missing as well.

  


Kokichi let out an offended gasp, trying to hug the too-wide piano. “Shushu, don’t talk about the piano like that! You’ll hurt her feelings!”

  


“Alright then, what is _ she _doing here?” Nevermind, he can see the carpet in the corner. It seemed carefully rolled up as well. How nice of the intruder.

  


Kokichi snickered. “I don’t know, Shuberry. You tell me.”

  


“Kokichi...” 

  


“Hey Shu-chan, want me to play you ‘Happy Birthday’ on this piano?” Kokichi asked innocently.

  


And suddenly everything clicked into place. “Oh my god, _ Kokichi, _ please tell me you didn’t buy a piano just to play me ‘Happy Birthday’,” Shuichi asked incredulously, a little afraid of the answer. 

  


Kokichi huffed. “Rude! Does Shu really think that I would spend all that money to buy a piano of all things, just to play you a little tune on your birthday?”

  


“Yes.”

  


Kokichi snickered. “Yeah, you’re right. I would.” Seeing Shuichi’s horrified expression, he quickly added, “But, unfortunately, that’s not the case this time. I’ll have you know I’m only _ renting _ this piano. I’m not _ that _irresponsible with money, Shucchi.” He patted the piano for emphasis.

  


Shuichi breathed out a sigh of relief, at which Kokichi sniffled. “You wound me, my dearest.” Then he ordered Shuichi to take a seat— Shuichi noted how the sofa was rearranged to face the piano instead of the TV— so that he could properly appreciate Kokichi’s sensational piano skills. 

  


Shuichi watched as Kokichi tried his hand at playing a simple song. Kokichi’s fingers flew over the keys, creating the happy little tune. He had a concentrated look on his face and Shuichi watched his performance— a little entranced, a little in love.

  


After playing the short piece, Kokichi looked at him expectantly, and Shuichi politely clapped his hands. 

  


“I didn’t know you could play the piano,” he said and Kokichi puffed out his chest, a proud look on his face.

  


“I have many talents that you don’t know of yet, Shu-chan! Believe it or not, my Piano skills are only a recent addition to that list,” he informed.

  


“Oh?”

  


“Yeah! I’ve been sneaking off with Akamatsu-chan behind your back to learn this, you know? All that effort I made, just to give you an amazing birthday surprise! So you better appreciate it, okay?”

  


“Ah,” Shuichi smiled. “Yeah, of course.”

  


“Good! Now get comfortable, because I’m going to be playing this until the day ends.”

  


“I appreciate the effort you put in for me, really. But, um, don’t you think that’s a little too much?” Shuichi asked, already knowing that it was a losing battle.

  


“Nope! Shu-chan, I didn’t put in this much effort to sneakily learn a song, sneakily rent a piano, sneakily bring the piano into our house, only to play it once and never again!” 

  


Shuichi sighed. “Alright, I guess you have a point.”

  


“Yaaay! This is why I love you so much. Be prepared to be blown away!” Kokichi warned as he faced the piano again. But this time, there was an intense glint in his eyes. He lightly rested his fingers against the keys before softly pressing on them, creating a soft melody.

  


Shuichi’s breath hitched in his throat when he recognized the soothing number. Shuichi doesn’t really listen to much music, but this song was one he was intimately familiar with.

  


Clair de Lune. 

  


Back in high-school, Kaede would often play it for him. Whenever he felt miserable, anxious, stressed— Kaede would play it for him. She claimed that its soothing melody calms one’s heart, and it’s a great song to listen to for cheering up.

  


And over the years, it had become something of a comfort song for him. 

  


And here was Kokichi, in their living room, playing the same song. His posture was stiff, eyes on the piano keys. Kokichi’s fingers fumbled over the keys at one point, pressing the wrong ones and creating a moment of dissonance. But he quickly recovered and played on, though Shuichi could see the frown linger on his face. 

  


Shuichi could only watch— entranced, captivated, mesmerized— as his heart welled up with affection for the man in front of him. His chest squeezed painfully, _ sweetly _, in his chest and not for the first time that day, Kokichi stole his breath away.

  


Too soon, the song ended and Shuichi opened his mouth to say something, but only a choked gasp escaped his lips, everything looked blurry. He realized that— oh, he’s crying. 

  


He felt someone gently holding his face and wiping the tears away, and looked up to see Kokichi’s fond, worried expression. 

  


“Okay?” Kokichi asked, voice impossibly soft.

  


Shuichi doesn’t think that he could answer with words, so he nodded and tugged on Kokichi’s shirt. Kokichi visibly relaxed and complied, straddling Shuichi’s lap carefully. 

  


Shuichi, satisfied with the close proximity, held Kokichi as close to him as physically possible, burying his face in Kokichi’s shoulder. His thoughts were a jumbled mess and his heart felt like it was going to burst out of his chest. He’s still so _ overwhelmed _ and he doesn’t know how to express any of it to Kokichi. He can’t put into words all of the love, gratitude, joy, awe, euphoria, contentment—

  


“Hey, Shu?” Kokichi’s quiet voice cut through his train of thoughts.

  


Shuichi could only manage a muffled sound in response. But it was good enough for Kokichi, because he whispered, “I love you,” in reply and it was enough for Shuichi to make up his mind.

  


As Kokichi ran his fingers through Shuichi’s hair, humming a soft tune under his breath— Shuichi knows it’s finally time to bring out the small velvet box he’s kept carefully hidden for the past few weeks.

**Author's Note:**

> For those that stuck with me this far: Hi there! Nooty here, and thank you so much for giving this a read 💕 I apologize if some of my wording and phrasing were wonky, I’m not a native English speaker; it’s my third language so 💦💦💦  
_this tiny mortal body contains so much anxiety about its writing._
> 
> #1: I’m really happy that I managed to write 10k for saiou week!! I wasn’t even sure I could write anything with my busy schedule (^^;;)
> 
> #2: I wrote the whole 3rd part in one sitting, glaring at my laptop screen for 5 hours. My brain had absolutely melted to mush near the end, so I’m a little, hmm, unsure? hesitant? about the ending (up until the proposal part. I personally love the proposal part and knew I was going to write this bit as soon as I saw that wedding prompt). But everything before that and after “Clair de Lune” is iffy to me so hey— you are absolutely free to join me in cringing about it.
> 
> #3: me? Self-projecting my love for saiou through a third person? It’s more likely than you think! I am Bells, Bells is me. Speaking of Bells,
> 
> #4: me, googling for card terms that are not King, Queen, Hearts, Spades etc: f-fuck
> 
> #5: Feel free to hit me up on discord! Nooty🐧💫#8689


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